Trip to Kampong Cham Province

Job Training Project

Adventure in
Kampong Cham
1 September 2009

Huoy's Store

Huoy is a young deaf woman who has set up a small business in Kampong Cham Province with the help of DDP. She first came to our attention about six years ago when she showed up at the Catholic church in Phnom Penh one day and the priest there contacted us. She was in our education project for a while but when we suspended it while training the teachers, Huoy headed back to Kampong Cham and got married and pregnant. She is the most determined and focused deaf person I've met and won't take "no" for an answer. She has struggled to set up a small business in rural Kampong Cham and the purpose of our trip to the province was mainly to check on her progress.

If all deaf people--if ALL people--were as focused as Huoy, the world would be a better place. Determining to seek her fortune in Kampong Cham Province, she set up a small shop selling cooking oil, instant noodles, soap, shampoo, etc., in front of her house. Earlier this year the government widened the road and destroyed her original shop so she asked DDP's help in rebuilding it bigger and better. Huoy in her small shop

Hong Kimhak (left) is the new project officer for the Job Training Project and the one who works directly with the deaf people who have set up small business enterprises. As part of this trip, he gave Huoy some money as a grant to help her to increase the variety and quantity of her stock before the Pchum Ben holidays when many travelers may be tempted to pick up items from her store as they travel to their home provinces to honor the dead. Hong Kimhak turning over grant money to Huoy

Most contracts in Cambodia are thumbprinted for identification and validation. New to this job, Kimhak hadn't brought a stamp pad along so Huoy and her mother-in-law thumbprinted the receipt using pink fingernail polish! Thumbprinting a receipt

Huoy's mother-in-law and Huoy's son with Huoy and Charlie.
Huoy sold her earrings and rings and anything else she had to rebuild her store, putting down a concrete foundation and even adding metal siding. In addition to more stock, the grant given today will enable her also to buy an ice chest so she can offer cold drinks to travelers on the road.
Huoy, son, and mother-in-law with Charlie

Because it took so long to get to Huoy's place in the mud, and because we needed to get back to the Mekong River before the ferry stopped running when darkness came, we only stayed fifteen minutes at our destination and then headed back on the muddy, slippery roads toward Kampong Cham town and eventually Phnom Penh. Heading back to Phnom Penh

Go to Kampong Cham Trip page
Go to Projects page on DDP website
Go to Charlie Dittmeier's home page

If all deaf people--if ALL people--were as focused as Huoy, the world would be a better place. Determining to seek her fortune in Kampong Cham Province, she set up a small shop selling cooking oil, instant noodles, soap, shampoo, etc., in front of her house. Earlier this year the government widened the road and destroyed her original shop so she asked DDP's help in rebuilding it bigger and better.
Hong Kimhak (left) is the new project officer for the Job Training Project and the one who works directly with the deaf people who have set up small business enterprises. As part of this trip, he gave Huoy some money as a grant to help her to increase the variety and quantity of her stock before the Pchum Ben holidays when many travelers may be tempted to pick up items from her store as they travel to their home provinces to honor the dead.
Most contracts in Cambodia are thumbprinted for identification and validation. New to this job, Kimhak hadn't brought a stamp pad along so Huoy and her mother-in-law thumbprinted the receipt using pink fingernail polish!
Huoy's mother-in-law and Huoy's son with Huoy and Charlie. Huoy sold her earrings and rings and anything else she had to rebuild her store, putting down a concrete foundation and even adding metal siding. In addition to more stock, the grant given today will enable her also to buy an ice chest so she can offer cold drinks to travelers on the road.
Because it took so long to get to Huoy's place in the mud, and because we needed to get back to the Mekong River before the ferry stopped running when darkness came, we only stayed fifteen minutes at our destination and then headed back on the muddy, slippery roads toward Kampong Cham town and eventually Phnom Penh.